I really enjoyed this book! I look forward to reading other books by this author. There were so many twists in this book I didn’t see coming. But then again I rarely can figure books out. I would definitely recommend this book!

A twisted love story follows Wes and Ivy, an on again off again couple of 10 years. To say their relationship is slightly messy and unconventional would be a huge understatement. Destined to follow the same dysfunctional patterns for years but still completely obsessed with each other, we follow them as they navigate not only a turbulent relationship but an unsolved murder investigation which may or may not involve them.

Although both of the main characters were unlikable, they were so interesting you couldn’t put the book down! I finished the entire book in one day. The chapters are short and snappy and made it easy to devour in one sitting.
Not only are the main couple obsessed with each other, detective Karen is obsessed with solving a cold case of a vehicular homicide from 7 years prior. You follow the story from Wes and Ivy’s perspectives as well as Karen’s, in this twisted love story!

A very enjoyable and quick read, which I believe will appeal to everyone, whether you read 100 books a year or are only looking for a good holiday read!! Would recommend!

Thank you NetGalley for the arc copy of this novel!

ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

Wes and Ivy are madly in love. Until they're not. For ten years they've been in a vicious circle of breaking up and getting back together, with each of them trying to make the other increasingly jealous and vying for their attention. It's toxic but nothing is as toxic as the one night both of them want to forget. And when Ivy wins this round of attention seeking by involving the police, all hell breaks loose with secrets and lies.

At first I thought this set a very similar tonr to Samantha Downing's previous novel My Lovely Wife as it involves two people in love who probably shouldn't be. Their relationship is showing every red flag imaginable. However, as it progressed it came into its own more, with A Twisted Love Story exploring the darker side of love that sits beside obsession and desire. The dynamic between the two is more equal, in that each of them struggles to retain the power between them while ultimately being the others kryptonite.

This is a mixture of detective thriller, as one of the povs is hardened harassment and sexual crimes detective Karen, and part domestic thriller as we follow on again off again couple Ivy and Wes. On paper this shouldn't haven't worked for me, as I dislike both these tropes, however in this instance I found myself really drawn into the story. Wes and Ivy have an interesting dynamic, escalating forms of self destruction and power plays that kept this one testing. And Karen seems sligthyl different to all the old school detectives of before. She's flawed in a way that makes her a terrible detective by jumping to conclusions and making assumptions, yet she's like a dog with bone to find answers.

It's the plot that let this down for me. After the build up of tension between Ivy and Wes's fighting eases off as external pressures start to interfere I found the plot stalled a lot. There's no suspense, as the reader knows almost staight away what the couple have done that's so shocking and it's more a story of how the pair go about trying to wriggle out of their predicament. It got a bit boring to be honest, and I found myself limping towards the end rather than wanting to race to the finish.

My Lovely Wife is far superior, but it's a decent thriller for those that like messy romances and morally grey characters.

*3.5 stars*

Some relationships are just plain toxic, lies, manipulation, mind games - Ivy and Wes’s has all of those things and more.

Wes and Ivy met in college and have dated on and off for 10 years. They have the most horrendous break ups, and it’s fair to say that this is a completely dysfunctional relationship, they know exactly which buttons to push, but the making up is off the scale, and it’s clear that they both get off on it. However, a certain Detective by the name of Karen Colgazier is about to enter their lives, and it’s not going to be good for either of them, because they have secrets that they’ve kept buried for a very long time, but Detective Colglazier sees behind their lies and she is determined to find out exactly what it is that they’re hiding.

This is one crazy mixed up couple, whose fights are vengeful, resulting in damaged property and arrest warrants, but of course that makes for a dark and intriguing storyline that drew me back every time I put it down.

4.5⭐️ wow wow wow this book had me hooked!

“NOTHING IS DEADLIER THAN TRUE LOVE...

Wes and Ivy are madly in love. It's the kind of romance people write stories about. But what kind of story?
Because when it's good, it's very very good. But when it's bad, it's bad.
But their breakneck cycle of catastrophic vengeful break-ups and head-over-heels reconnections needs to end fast. Because suddenly, Wes and Ivy have a common enemy - and she's a detective.
One wrong move will be fatal - so if Wes and Ivy can't stick together, this break-up might just be their last“

As a massive fan of Samantha Downing's work I was so excited to receive an early e-copy of this book and I read it in under a day it was that good! The drama between the characters and toxic nature of Wes and Ivy's relationship had me hooked from the very beginning. I really enjoyed having the multiple povs, as it made the book so fast paced and had you eagerly flipping the pages to see what happened next. Though the focus is centred on the toxicity of Wes and Ivy, all of the characters had their own secrets and obsessions, showing that everyone is as bad as each other. Would highly recommend A Twisted Love Story to anyone looking for a twisty psychological thriller with plenty of drama, lies and murder to go around.

Thank you to @netgalley @penguinrandomhouse @smariedowning for the e-arc of the book, all opinions are honest and my own, and I’m so grateful to be able to have read this early!

Wes and Ivy are in a long-term, toxic, on-off relationship. When it's good, it's great, but when it's bad, it's deadly.
They break up again and this time there's a dead body and a detective involved. Detective Karen Colglazier is determined to dig into Wes and Ivy's past ... and the couple have a secret they're determined to keep buried.

Wonderfully wicked; deliciously dark and twisted. I LOVED this!

I am a huge Samantha Downing fan, so I jumped at the chance to read A Twisted Love Story. Her books are about bad relationships and each time I open one of her books I am completely wrapped up in the story. A Twisted Love Story is a deliciously dark tale about a toxic relationship that will keep you intrigued from start to end.
Samantha Downing centres her stories around unhealthy relationships. In this book, you have two people who on their own are likeable characters, while together they are a disaster waiting to happen. I truly enjoy the twists and constant uncertainty she brings to her stories. There is not a single dull moment as she delivers twist after twist that leaves you on the edge of your seat.
Wes and Ivy have spent ten years in a relationship which is on and off all the time. When it’s good it is very good between them, but when it is bad – it is disastrous. They go to extremes to gain each other’s attention, always aiming for a grand gesture. This time Ivy involved the police, and the police officer on the case is not going to let it go. Wes and Ivy have a past that includes a dead body and the detective digging up the past is the last thing they need.
I raced through this book eager to find out who to trust. The characters all keep you on your toes and you know everyone is hiding something. The relationships are fantastic, not just Wes and Ivy, but Heath the best friend and Bianca who snoops around all the time make this a fantastic read.
There is no way around it, you will love these characters. Ivy who comes across as sweet is anything but. This woman packs a punch and she is guaranteed to leave you amazed with some of her actions. Wes is hard to place, while you know he loves Ivy you cannot help but wonder if he has ulterior motives. This guy is full of surprises and he keeps you curious right to the end. Heath takes the friendship a little too far and I have to say the man was just a tad creepy – despite Ivy’s bond with Heath I just did not like this guy. Bianca was the biggest twist, this almost innocent young woman is on a mission.
No doubt about it, Samantha Downing has delivered yet another brilliant read. This book has flown to the top half of my top ten books for 2023. This book will keep you reading until the early hours.
If you enjoyed Samantha Downing’s other books you will love this one. If you are new to this author, be warned, you will want to read her other books as well. She brings toxic relationships to the forefront of her stories and leaves you amazed by her character's actions. I cannot recommend this book highly enough – if you haven’t yet, add this title to your TBR. It is a fantastic read, do not miss it.

An interesting premise but not one of my favourites from SD. Wes and Ivy's turbulent relationship certainly kept me turning the pages, but I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop and sort of felt like it never did..?

Twisted title, relationship and couple!! Wes and Ivy have been together on and off since they first met at University 10 years agoand I'm not sure if it's love or a magnetic obsession that they have together. It seems that they can't live together or apart from each other. Really enjoyed this story of toxic relationship, lies, crime etc

Ivy and West have had an on/off relationship for many years. Neither can keep away from each other for long. They are both twisted and cruel people that would do anything to keep this toxic partnership going. Thing start to come to a head when the police get involved.
This is a psychological thriller with unlikeable characters and some twists.
Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

I usually love this author's work unfortunately her latest A Twisted Love Story left me feeling flat and for me not up to her usual standard. The whole book was about the on off relationship between Wes and Ivy the two main characters. I found it dull and so repetitive and I felt the couple were so immature and selfish. The ending was strange and left me with many unanswered questions. Not one of her best.
Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the Arc in return for an honest review.

I struggled a bit with this book. I enjoyed previous books from this author, but I found this one slow and hard to get into.

The storyline was good in theory but I just didn't feel it translated well in delivery. I found the saga of rhe couple Ivy and Wes, to be drawn out and a bit tiresome.

And I thought the ending was anti climatic. All in all, a bit disappointing.

An excellent fast paced read although I didn't enjoy it as much as My Lovely Wife but even so it was an excellent storyline which kept me involved all the way through.

I enjoyed reading about the characters and for me personally it did keep me on the edge of my seat.

Thank you to Netgalley and Michael Joseph (Penguin) for this ARC which I can thoroughly recommend.

I've really enjoyed the author's previous novels, especially My Lovely Wife and so was looking forward to reading A Twisted Love Story.
The main characters Wes and Ivy have a complex, twisted and toxic relationship and when Ivy reports Wes to the police, Karen, a detective becomes involved.
A Twisted Love Story got off to a promising start and I was initially intrigued by the characters and Karen's involvement. However I soon became tired of Wes and Ivy's characters and their games and felt the whole thing became too repetitive. There was also a lack of pace and suspense in the plot.
The author does write well and on the basis of her previous novels I'll definitely read her next novel but sadly this one did not work for me.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this digital ARC.

A Twisted Love Story focuses on the ‘twisted’ relationship between Wes and Ivy. Their relationship is very up and down, full of mind games when bad and passion when good. Karen, a detective, gets involved in their relationship at their dismay. Has one of their games in the past gone too far?

This was an entertaining thriller and I enjoyed the crazy antics performed by the characters. I liked that the chapters were short and snappy, alternating between different voices. Although this was a fun thriller, I did find it quite repetitive and I didn’t feel fully gripped or invested in the story. I feel the pace slowed slightly towards the middle, picking up somewhere towards the end. Overall, this was an amusing read and there were some little surprises thrown in. I can definitely see plenty of people being thoroughly entertained by this book. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this copy in return for an honest review.

I love reading books with toxic and unlikeable characters and this was definitely jam packed with them. I read this in 3 sittings and was definitely curious to see what the history was between our 2 main characters Wes and Ivy but for me the plot got a tad repetitive and the ending was a little disappointing.

Thanks to netgalley for providing an ecopy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really enjoyable book and, for me, Downing's best yet.

The story focuses on the relationship between Ivy and Wes which can only be described as toxic - in fact, I am not sure if that word even does justice to just how bad things can be between them. When they're good, they're good, when they're bad....well they get hurt, and so do others.

At the start of the novel, Wes is visiting at work by Detective Karen Calglazier. Ivy has accused him of stalking and Karen goes to his office to warn him off. Rather than working, this brings Wes and Ivy back together and we follow their relationship through the novel in all its ups and downs.

What is clear early on, is that their relationship doesn't just hurt them and there is plenty of collateral damage.

Downing does a great job of bringing the relationship out and I think people who have been in a similar 'can't live with them can't live without them' will be able to recognise the behaviours of the main characters which are damaging but realistic.

Thanks to Netgalley and Penguin Random House, Michael Joseph for the ARC in exchange for an honest review

Having loved previous Samantha Downing novels I was very excited to read this new offering. However, this one just didn’t really do it for me. More of a ‘dark romance’ than a thriller I’m sure that many people will love this story of a toxic relationship and the mystery that unfolds throughout. The writing was good and had a lot of Downing’s signature style, I just didn’t love the characters and the gaslighting/toxic behaviour. I do look forward to reading more from this author and encourage others to read her work.
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this advanced copy.

I love Downing’s previous books but felt left let down by this one. The characters were weak and dull- they were immature at best. The ending was strange and disjointed. I struggled to read it but kept going in case it was leading up to some big twist. It wasn’t.

Samantha Downing is one of my go-to authors, one I will read immediately and often without even reading the description so I was delighted to get an early copy of A Twisted Love Story which is being published in August 2023.

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Samantha Downing creates some of the best/worst characters in the thriller genre.

A Twisted Love Story is about Wes and Ivy. They’ve been together for 10 years having met at University and have broken up and made up too many times to mention, but there seems to be an invisible, magnetic thread which keeps them tethered to each other despite their volatile relationship.

After a particularly nasty and violent break-up, Wes seems to be getting on with his life without Ivy, but then she starts being stalked and reports it to the police. Detective Karen Colglazier takes her job very seriously, she can spot a victim a mile away, and instantly wants to protect/save Ivy. When she visits Wes at work she gets a feeling he’s hiding something and starts digging into their past which both of them are desperate to hide.

I don’t think I’ve met a more toxic and despicable pair who seem to be confusing obsession with love and really need to get away from each other immediately, but for some unexplicable reason can’t live without each other.

Another twisty, twisted tale of toxic relationships which kept me entertained throughout.